B.S. Arch student Lilijana Gregov one of five graduating seniors profiled in University Record
Republished from The University Record article “Taubman senior learned how to experience, not just see, new spaces,” as part of “Senior Profiles: Meet five prospective graduates from Class of 2026” (April 27, 2026; by Genevieve Monsma)
As a child, Lilijana Gregov spent hours building houses in “The Sims,” a video game that enables players to design and create unique spaces.
“One time, I was showing my grandmother what I’d made, and she was like, ‘You know, this is a job people actually do in life,’” Gregov said, laughing.
That was when Gregov began to think architecture might make for an interesting career.
At her home in St. Louis, she was also picking up lessons in design from her parents. Her mother, whom Gregov describes as “the best designer I know,” would transform the interior of their house by rearranging the furniture, while her father introduced her to a maker’s sensibility through tools and model-building.
Architecture and design were, however, not Gregov’s only passions growing up. She was also a highly competitive swimmer and at one point considered pursuing Division I athletics.
But, after a serious skateboarding accident in high school, Gregov found herself rethinking her future. While she did return to the pool and even broke her school’s record in the 50 freestyle, the experience clarified her path.
“It was a change of mindset,” she said. “Swimming in college would’ve been incredible, but I wanted to do architecture more.”
The A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning was at the top of her list and, after getting in and receiving a financial package that made attendance feasible, she looked forward to applying the design skills she’d been informally learning since childhood.
Now a senior at Taubman, Gregov has distinguished herself in numerous ways. In addition to her major in architecture, she earned a minor in art and design from the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design, garnered university honors for multiple terms, and was named a James B. Angell Scholar.
Gregov also won first place for her designs in two consecutive Taubman undergraduate shows.
What she has learned at Taubman has not just shaped her as a designer, though. It’s also given her room to grow as a leader. In the spring of 2024, Gregov helped co-found ARCH1, Taubman’s first architectural competition team, which now includes about 35 undergraduate students working in teams on major international design competitions.
The team’s efforts have already produced notable results. Last fall, Gregov and two teammates earned third place in Archcontest’s “Schrodinger’s Room” competition, winning a juried award and €500, or $588, in a global contest that included professional designers.
Outside the studio, Gregov still skateboards, rides one of her three bikes around Ann Arbor, and makes time to see art whenever her schedule allows.
As graduation nears, she is applying to design firms in New York and San Francisco, and plans to attend graduate school after gaining professional experience. What she expects to miss most about U-M is the creative culture she found at Taubman and the Stamps School, the people and her peers, and the access to tools and studios and mentors like Anca Trandafirescu, associate professor of architecture, and Claudia Wigger, a lecturer IV in architecture.
“You have to learn a different language coming to school here,” she said. “You start to look at everything a bit differently.”
